Before I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease (PD), I only knew one thing about it: that it causes tremors. I had never dreamed of the cornucopia of symptoms that I now get to experience on a daily basis. Case in point: Dry Eyes.

From time to time, I have experienced a dry, mildly itchy sensation at the front of my eyeballs. This has been especially noticeable when visiting areas with dry air. For example, I often experience this dryness during my annual trip to Colorado. But there have been a handful of times here in the Carolinas when I suddenly had a burning sensation in one or both eyes. Sometimes my eyes started watering immediately, putting an end to the burning. Other times, my tear ducts were apparently out to lunch, and the burning went on for quite some time. It’s been at least a few months since I last experienced any such problems, though.

Well, since I noticed any such problems, anyway. Last week, I underwent an evaluation to determine whether elective Refractive Lens Exchange surgery would be appropriate for me. The ophthalmologist concluded I would be fine to go ahead with the surgery, but apparently the evaluation exam made it clear that my eyes are rather dry. He prescribed Xiidra, which I’m pretty sure was the name of one of the bad guys in Yar’s Revenge. Combined with an OTC eye lubricant, this will supposedly get my eyes back to a healthy level of wetness. It feels like it’s working, but it has a bizarre side effect. Several minutes after puttin’ the stuff in my eye, I get an odd taste/sensation in an odd place. It feels like I snorted vodka. And not just any vodka. I’m talking about the room-temperature dregs from a 1.75-liter plastic bottle of one of the super-cheap brands. Several brand names come to mind, but I don’t want to get sued, so I’ll not mention them.

More to come…(maybe)